DPL T20: Collective effort helps Purani Dilli 6 beat North Delhi Strikers by six wickets

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) A collective effort with both bat and ball helped Purani Dilli 6 beat North Delhi Strikers by six wickets in a rain-shortened match of the Adani Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Saturday. With the match reduced to 18 overs due to rain, North Delhi Strikers had a shaky start to their innings, but Sarthak Ranjan and Pranav Rajvanshi’s gritty fifth-wicket partnership of 73 off 54 balls helped their team to post a competitive 130/7 in their allotted 18 overs. In response, Keshav Dalal's half-century helped Purani Dilli 6 to register their second win of the tournament as they chased down the target with ease. Anirudh Chowdhary provided North Delhi Strikers with crucial early breakthroughs, dismissing Arnav Bugga (8 off 5) and Arpit Rana (19 off 12). However, Purani Dilli 6 maintained an aggressive approach and reached the 50-run mark by the end of the five-over powerplay in a rain-shortened match. Keshav Dalal and Lalit Yadav kept the scoreboard ticking at a rapid pace. Dalal brought up his fifty in 30 balls during the 11th over, leaving Purani Dilli 6 needing just 29 runs from 42 balls. However, Dalal was caught behind off Chowdhary’s bowling in the 13th over after playing a remarkable knock of 59 off 36 balls. Mayank Gusain (0 off 1) followed in the very next delivery, as Chowdhary claimed his fourth wicket of the match. Skipper Yadav, who started slow, accelerated with a flurry of boundaries in the following overs. His unbeaten 44 off 31 balls ensured Purani Dilli 6 chased down the target in just 14.2 overs. Earlier in the day, North Delhi Strikers had a disastrous start to their innings as they lost four wickets by the sixth over with only 23 runs on the board. Ayush Singh Thakur struck twice in the second over, dismissing Vaibhav Kandpal (0 off 3) and Yash Dabas (0 off 2). Lalit Yadav then removed Vaibhav Rawal (6 off 8) in the fifth over, followed by Yash Bhatia (0 off 7) falling to Yug Gupta in the next over. North Delhi Strikers began to recover through opener Sarthak Ranjan and wicketkeeper Pranav Rajvanshi's sensible batting. Ranjan took the lead while Rajvanshi provided solid support as they stitched a gritty fifth-wicket partnership of 73 off 54 balls. Ranjan, who was given a lifeline, reached his fifty in 34 balls in the 13th over. North Delhi Strikers crossed the 100-run mark in the 15th over, but in the same over, Ranjan was dismissed after a brilliant 56 off 40 balls. Pranshu Vijayran followed Ranjan to the pavilion after scoring 14 off 9 balls, while Rajvanshi was run out in the final over for a well-made 41 off 35 balls. Impact player Siddhant Sharma's quickfire 11 off 4 balls guided North Delhi Strikers to a respectable total of 130/7 in their allotted 18 overs. Brief scores: North Delhi Strikers 130/7 in 18 overs (Sarthak Ranjan 56, Pranav Rajvanshi 41, Ayush Singh Thakur 3-34) lost to Purani Dilli 6 136/4 in 14.2 overs (Keshav Dalal 59, Lalit Yadav 44 not out, Anirudh Chowdhary 4-30) by six wickets.